The Game Druid

Suit up and buckle down as the Game Druid takes you through and exclusive preview of Command and Conquer : Red Alert 3!!! So after 7 years, do you know how long 7 years is?, well in anycase, we’re almost at the end of our 7 year itch for a Red Alert game!! Let’s get right into it shall we?

The basic mechanics and style of the C&C world have been maintained here but there are also plenty of surprises that make it feel fresh and new. As with previous games in the C&C universe, you can get a substantial head start on your opposition by aggressively setting up lots of resource collectors and garrisoning key buildings along your enemy’s likely avenue of approach. With a steady stream of cash coming in and some fortified positions that can slow your enemy’s advance, you’ll have enough room to build up to the more powerful units at the higher end of the game’s tech tree.

If you’ve played the more recent RTS games, you’ll be right at home with the controls, settings and mechanics. To make gameplay a lot easier, the designers have included tabs under the minimap so you can instantly access the build options for any of your structures without having to go back to your base. You can set rally points, garrison buildings and group units just like you could in the previous game. You can even select portraits of your selected units along the right edge of the screen to gain access to their special abilities. This is a definite help when you’re leading a big force in battle and want to trigger specific moves without having to reselect the entire group when you’re done.

Also for the 1st time there will be not two but THREE whole factions!! “It’s really important to us that we don’t just build one faction, then cut and paste those units into another faction,” says executive producer Chris Corry. “Each will feel very different from a capability standpoint. Japan has the most dramatically different building mechanic with an emphasis on higher technology weapons, so it’ll feel and play uniquely.”

So here’s a brief synopsis of the game:

In the Red Alert games, it is asserted that Adolf Hitler’s rise to power was thwarted, which prevented Nazi Germany from forming and averted World War II as we know from taking place. In this timeline, Joseph Stalin is the main aggressor against Europe.

After the events of Red Alert 2 the leadership of the doomed Soviet Union devises a plan to travel back in time and assassinate Albert Einstein (whose own time travels led to the events of the previous two games) in order to change history and restore the Soviet Union as a world power. However, during the mission, something goes quickly and horribly wrong and an “alternate timeline” is inadvertently created, erasing the events of the previous two games, which alters the technological evolution and creates a new, technologically advanced superpower in the East, known as the Empire of the Rising Sun. And thus, a World War breaks out among the Soviets, the Allies and the Empire and is fought with exotic weaponry such as “Tesla coils, heavily armed War Blimps, teleportation, armored bears, intelligent dolphins, floating island fortresses, and transforming tanks”.

So coming back on what to expect? yes, Jenny McCarthy will be there playing the role of Tanya. But more importantly from what I see, there seems to be major emphasis on Naval Battles in RA3. Which is like super considering the crappy Naval based games that have come by off late. It also features Co-op play which again is very cool and I bet it must have been quite a challenge. Co-op play makes campaigns feel livelier, more exciting, and less overwhelming than what you typically get trying to save the world in a real-time strategy game. You’ll always have someone fighting at your side, backing you up. If you’ve ever played RTS games online, then you probably already have an impression of why two-on-two matches feel better than one-on-one battles. Not only does playing with an ally give you a little more margin for error, it unlocks a ton of new strategic opportunities that are fun to explore.

So coming back, the 3 factions - The Allies, The Soviets and the Rising Sun are all very unique in their own special way (like the same way we tell kids), like the Rising Sun has greater technology than the rest, the Allies and the Soviets follow the same general philosophies they showed in previous Red Alert games, but they also have some intriguing new toys. The Allies are about finesse and deception, finding ways to diminish the power of the enemy while also protecting their own. Soviets show less finesse but just as much inventiveness. They have their own anti-infantry, disguise-busting animals in the massive War Bears, whose name alone justifies their inclusion in any army. Their standard anti-armor infantry is the Flak Trooper, and though he’s just as susceptible to being crushed as any other foot soldier, he can activate special magnetic mines that ensure that whatever vehicle crushes him won’t be around to crush anyone else. Soviet infantry is weighted heavily towards anti-vehicle warfare. The Tesla Trooper has EM disruptors that can stop a vehicle in its tracks, and their special unit Natasha can even snipe enemy drivers, leaving their vehicles open for capture.

Trust me when I tell you this, there is SO much about RA3 that I can’t put in here, not because I don’t want to, cuz well, there’s just lots!! Stay tuned here for more details on Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 as we come closer to the release date!! (October 28th 2008)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 at 5:15 pm and is filed under upcoming games. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.